I Dream of Murder
by Celeste.J.Evans
Summary: Friends come and go but murder is for life
1. Mornings

**Hey everyone. What's up? I've just recently found the inspiration to write Castle fiction so I figured I would try my hand at a Multi-chapter fic. I wanted to write an episode-style story that takes place sometime between Gina and Castle's breakup and Josh and Beckett's breakup which WILL happen. Anyways, so I'm hoping people will read this but if not, hey, I wrote! I make no guarantees about when this story will be updated because my life is a made of quick sand but I will try my hardest and if I get lots of reviews, I might be motivated to write faster. Either way, I hope you enjoy it and even if you don't that's okay too. I LOVE getting reviews especially criticism so critique is encouraged. I guess that's all. Without further ado: I Dream Of Murder**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

* * *

She ran down the long corridor frantically, looking behind every few seconds. Her footsteps echoed but the intensity came in and out, causing her to wince as the sounds grew louder. She turned behind her to see nothing but dead air but as she turned back, she tripped over a tree branch that had suddenly appeared. She whimpered as she fell to the dirt floor, her ankle twisting under itself. She was completely surrounded by the shadows of trees looming over her, threatening to grab at her from every angle. She instantly grabbed her foot in surprised pain and tried furiously to pull herself across the ground, seeking shelter anywhere. The trail of broken branches and stones cut at her bare legs and grabbed at her aqua tank top. Her blond hair was barely in its ponytail anymore and she had lost her shoes somewhere while she was running. She brought her arm up from her ankle to wipe away the dirt that clung to every bead of perspiration that dripped from her brows and slid down her cheek and in between her breasts. The only sounds that seemed to register were her frantic, ragged breaths and the echoing footsteps that were always getting closer. As she felt the shadow grow nearer, her eyes grew wider and her breathing became laboured. Her arm gave out beneath her and she was frozen in fear. The shadow stalked forward, its darkness swaying back and forth against the light following behind it. She released a whimper as the shadow rose what could easily resemble a meat cleaver above its head.

She let out a piercing scream that echoed into the night.

* * *

Kate rolled over onto her back as she heard more than felt her phone vibrating on her night table. Opening her eyes just wide enough to grab the offending object, she flipped it open to reveal that she had one text message, received only moments ago. Opening it, she read it over once before turning to the vacant side of her bed. She vaguely remembered missing Josh's warmth a while ago but in her semi-conscious state, she wasn't sure quite how long he had been gone. They weren't living together but she found that they had been doing a lot of sleeping over at each other's houses in the past few months. It wasn't uncommon for one of them to be called away so when it did happen, there wasn't much to be said. His text simply read:

_Sorry. Didn't want to wake you this early. I'll see you tonight. Love you. _

She promptly deleted the text message, not needing the reminder. She and Josh had been doing fairly well for a little over six months and he was the first person to say "I love you" in the relationship. It wasn't that she didn't love him as well she just wasn't ready to say it out loud – to anyone. She held on to the phone for a moment before sighing and raising it up closer to her face so that she could make out the time through her blurred vision. 5:32. Not the earliest she had been awoken but she wasn't in the mood to sit around waiting to be called into work so she rolled over enough to return the phone to its place on the table. She was inches from her destination when it began vibrating in her hand. Sighing dejectedly, she pulled her blanket away and placed her bare feet flat on the frozen hard wood floor as she answered her phone without looking at her caller I.D.

"Beckett." Her voice adopted a professional tone. She listened as an officer gave her the basics and the address to the location of their latest murder before thanking him and hanging up. She flipped her phone closed, tossed it haphazardly on the crumpled bed and rose to her feet, making her way to the washroom to get ready for her day. She closed the door before leaning against the frame and rolling her eyes. For a brief moment, she had forgotten that it needed to be done but she finally convinced herself that she would never live it down if she didn't. Biting her lip, she opened the door once again to grab her phone. Hitting the number 3 on her speed dial, she tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the person on the other end.

"Castle?" Her voice was very sharp for five in the morning. "We got a murder."

* * *

Castle gently pressed the off button of his iPhone, successfully ending his conversation with Beckett. She had simply rattled off an address in mid-town and hung up the phone but he couldn't help but wonder about the tone of her voice.

Nah.

It couldn't be anything. Unless of course she was still in bed with motorcycle surgeon boy when she called him and she was annoyed. That had conjured up some very unnecessarily disturbing images in his head. Shaking those thoughts and his concern away, he placed his phone on his night table and exited through the bathroom door with a sold click. It was a comical second before he once again opened the door, snapping his fingers in remembrance, to grab his cellphone and snuck into the washroom to get ready for his day.

* * *

Castle arrived on the scene about a minute before Beckett did, coffee and bear claw in hand. It always amazed her how he could find a coffee shop open and servicing at all hours of the day – granted, it wasn't that early but still. Accepting it with a muttered thanks, they walked side-by-side towards the crime scene.

"Morning, detective." He was much too awake.

"Someone is certainly cheery this morning."

"Just excited about murder." She rolled her eyes, completely convinced that he was saying something else but not catching it. They both ducked under the crime scene tape and took in the scene.

A smaller bedroom painted a pale blue color with a small window opposite the door. The window was slightly ajar, allowing the early morning breeze to fill the room with the smells and sounds of early morning traffic. A large armoire stood in the corner beside the window and next to it, a desk with a bulkier laptop resting closed on top. There were books of all size and width strewn at the base of the double bed and there was a small carved night table to the right of it. Lying there was a girl dressed in an aqua tank top and smaller black shorts which had ridden up around her thighs. Her white sheets were soaked with sweat and were a tangled mess around her legs. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was tangled and messy but still held together in a ponytail and there were marks on the sheets beneath each of her loosely clenched fists where it appeared that she had pulled at it furiously. Despite her desperate appearance, her face was peaceful. Her eyes were closed gently and her thin, pink lips were set firmly in a line.

There was not a mark on her body.

Ryan and Esposito suddenly appeared beside them and as they looked around.

"Twenty-four year old Amy Caine. Works as a waitress down at McMillian's. Gets driven every morning by Katelyn Adams." Esposito nodded towards a girl in her mid-twenties sobbing hysterically just behind the door, trying to tell a uniformed officer everything she could. "Katelyn shows up at 5:00 to pick her up, doesn't get an answer so she uses the spare key to get in. Found her lying on the bed and couldn't wake her up." Beckett silently acknowledged the information and made her way towards the body, Castle following behind.

"What do we have, Lanie?" She addressed the medical examiner who was silently examining the body. The woman looked up at the sound of her friend's voice.

"I'm not certain." Beckett's attention snapped to Lanie instantly.

"What?" The ME shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you, sweetie. There are no marks on the body and no indications of internal trauma. She's just… dead."

"How can someone just be dead?" Castle spoke Beckett's mind. She looked at him in confusion. Lanie turned back to the corpse and continued her examination.

"I'll be able to give you a cause of death once I get her back to the lab but I _can_ tell you that she was killed sometime between twelve and three last night." Beckett nodded.

"Thanks Lanie." They watched as two men came with a stretcher and lifted the body away. Now bodiless, the room seemed to be a bit warmer and almost homely. Beckett and Castle turned to each other.

"Where do we start?"


	2. Coffee

**So before I go on, I should mention. When I started writing this, it was before "Poof You're Dead" but then I posted it and I figured I could incorporate the breakup with Gina into the story without disrupting anything major so this will be be between "Poof Your Dead" and "Knockdown" - which is amazing by the way. I've watched them kiss I don't know how many times. If you haven't watched the sneak peek - and you're a Caskett fan - I recommend you YouTube it right away. January 24th cannot come fast enough. Anyways. Thank you for reviewing my last chapter. This one is a little longer but it's just getting them on the road. Once February starts, these chapters will get farther apart and less... well-written - cause they're so good now - so I appreciate everyone's feedback now. I'm hoping those who are reading this are enjoying it. Well, I'm off to watch more Castle. Have fun. Live long and prosper. Review. 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

* * *

The pair wandered around the room, taking in their surroundings. The first thing that caught their attention in the bodiless room was the strewn pile of books at the foot of the bed. Crouching down to examine them, Beckett began flipping through the titles.

"These are all law books." She observed curiously.

"According to her wallet, she was a student at Columbia; third year." Ryan was standing at the victim's bedside, shifting through her belongings, looking for something to work on.

"A struggle?" Castle questioned from above Beckett.

"Could be." The detective mused. "But it's more likely she was just studying and didn't put her things away. Nothing else in the room seems to be disturbed." She raised her left hand distractedly to her lips for a moment, her fingers curled into a 'c' shape, before she looked down with a confused expression that Castle didn't miss.

"What?" She looked up at him with those hurt, bambi eyes that he rarely saw – and was glad of it because he knew he couldn't handle them very often.

"Where's my coffee?" Castle looked stunned for a moment before his mind began racing a mile a minute, trying to figure out what had happened to the ritualistic coffee. Finally he came to a single conclusion.

"I guess I must have forgotten it this morning…" He trailed off before shaking his head. "Do you want to stop for some on the way back to the precinct?" She shook her head, still feeling uncomfortable and slightly empty without the coffee cup in her hand.

"No it's alright. We'll just get some when we get back there." She slowly stood and faced away from him. Castle eyed her wearily. How could he have forgotten to get Beckett her coffee this morning? It was their sacred morning ritual that had barely been disturbed in the years since they had met. Nothing was unusual this morning; it had just slipped his mind.

"Yeah…" The writer looked around slowly, desperate to move on. "For a beautiful girl in her twenties, her room's really meticulous; nothing out of place."

"Yeah well not all of us were party animals in our college years. I'm sure you did enough partying for most people." Beckett smiled teasingly at him as she distractedly continued to examine the room.

"True." Castle conceded after little thought; glad to put it behind them for the moment. Rolling her eyes but not acknowledging him, they continued their sweep. Their search of her bedroom/living room/kitchen proved fruitless but a quick sweep of her bathroom proved to be slightly more interesting.

"She thought she was pregnant." Beckett pulled the used pregnancy test out of the trash bin carefully with only two of her blue gloved fingers. Turning it over, she confirmed emotionlessly. "Negative."

"Boyfriend?" Castle wondered aloud as he opened her medicine cabinet, making a muttered verbal checklist of everything in there. "Band-Aids, Tylenol, Q-tips, Nail polish remover, Condoms… Tamp-tampons," He stuttered as he moved the item out of the way, causing his partner to roll her eyes and hide a smile; "tons of floss." He picked up one of nearly a dozen boxes of floss and turned it over, observing it casually. "She was even meticulous about her health."

"There's no indication of a boyfriend anywhere but we'll know more once we start asking around." Esposito informed her, popping his head into the doorway. Beckett stood up from the bathtub.

"Don't start asking around just yet. I want confirmation from Lanie on the cause of the death. If her death turns out to be natural causes, I don't want to be wasting precious resources. But find her next of kin; she has to have family out there somewhere." With an affirmative nod, Esposito and Ryan returned to the main room to find her family's contact info. The writer/detective duo finally left the bathroom.

"You don't think it was natural causes." It wasn't a question so much as a statement. Beckett shrugged.

"My gut says no but I have to be certain."

"It could be a suicide." He suggested casually.

Beckett turned to her partner with sheer amusement. "What Castle, you don't have some wild theory?"

"Honestly I don't have much to go on." He shrugged as they both turned towards the door blocked by yellow 'crime scene' tape. "I mean a woman found dead in her apartment – no visible indication as to what could have killed her. The best I've got is that she simply died in her sleep." He held up the tape for her to duck under. "For all we know, this _could_ be a suicide."

"It's not a suicide." Lanie announced matter-of-factly as the pair entered the cold, bleak morgue. "At least I don't think it is." She was still confident in her prognosis.

"What's the cause of death?" Beckett followed her friend to one of the occupied metal tables covered in the pale white sheet, matching the face of the poor soul underneath. Flipping it open to just reveal the girl's face, Lanie stood on the opposite side.

"Sudden Cardiac Arrest caused by Ventricular Tachycardia." Castle opened his mouth and closed it once as he blinked at her.

"I'm going to need that in _English_." His emphasis made Lanie glare at him playfully as Kate rolled her eyes – about to make the same request to the medical examiner.

"Her heart sped up so fast that it stopped." She used her arms to assist in her explanation.

"What-"

"What causes that?" Beckett interrupted him, glancing at him briefly before looking back expectantly.

Lanie raised an eyebrow for barely an instant before continuing. "In most cases, it's a genetic heart disease that naturally causes the heart to speed up but there are some cases where it was an increase in stress or adrenaline. Based on the way her body was found and the fact that her family has no history of heart disease, I'm ruling with adrenaline or stress which means that this was definitely not a natural death." Beckett took a moment to process the information.

"When you say 'the way her body was found' what do you mean?" Lanie glanced at Castle wearily for a moment before looking back at her friend.

"You sure you wanna know?" She cringed slightly at her friend's exasperated expression.

"Yes Lanie." Her voice annoyed but obviously curious.

"I think she died in her sleep." She pulled it off like a Band-Aid, knowing her friend wouldn't like it and was completely right. She heard Castle release a breathy 'huh' before tilting his head towards his partner who reciprocated with a tilt and a glare. Lanie raised her eyebrows in apology as Beckett turned back to the ME frustratedly.

"How the hell does someone die in their sleep?" Switching back to work mode, Lanie turned her attention back to the body lying between them.

"There are several ways but in this case, I'm guessing Night Terrors." Not acknowledging the detective and the writer's mirror looks of expectant confusion, she continued. "Usually when people sleep, they don't move no matter how action-packed their dream may be but in extreme cases where you have enough adrenaline pumping through your body like in terror or… arousal," She waggled an eyebrow at a glaring Beckett, "they will move around."

"That'll explain her clenched fists." Castle pointed out, missing or ignoring Lanie's innuendo.

"Exactly." She pointed at the writer.

"So you're telling me that she was so scared of something in her dream that she died in the real world?" Beckett tilted her head, trying to completely comprehend the situation.

"Literally scared to death." She confirmed almost triumphantly. Castle looked between the two girls.

"Can you actually prove that that's the cause of death?" Lanie tilted her hands uncertainly.

"Officially, I'll need to run a few more tests to make sure but unofficially," She turned to the detective, "this is your best bet." She nodded to the body which now looked just as peaceful as when they found her but knowing her cause of death seemed to create this cloud around her that made her face seem anything but tranquil.

"Anthing else?" Beckett glanced at the body before returning her gaze to her friend. Lanie wiggled her eyebrows in response as she reached for the victim's hand. Turning it over, she indicated three fairly long scars on the inside of her wrist.

"These scars are healed but they're deep."

"She was cutting herself?" Castle whispered in disbelief. Lanie pursed her lips.

"Not anymore. I didn't find any fresh cuts on her body so I'm guessing she hasn't done it in a while. Beckett nodded emotionessly.

"Thank you, Lanie." She spoke matter-of-factly before turning towards the doors, followed closely by Castle.

* * *

He was half-way down the hallway when he spotted his partner taking an eraser to the murder board. Quickening his pace as fast as possible with two steaming mugs of espresso in his hands, he set them both on her desk before coming to stand impossibly close beside her.

"What are you doing?" He sounded almost hurt. They hadn't managed to get much up on board other than the victim's information and a photo of the crime scene but it was still something.

"The case is closed Castle, there's no murder. As strange as her death is, no one but herself killed her." He reached over her body to grab the well-worn eraser brush from her hands and turn to her.

"_Something _or _someone_ gave her those nightmares. Normal people don't get night terrors so horrifying that their heart stops beating." Beckett turned to the writer, peeved that he had both invaded her personal space and tried to take control.

"Look Castle, I'll admit that what happened to her was unusual and tragic but one person is not to blame for a girl's dreams." She snapped the eraser out of his hands but continued to stand toe-to-toe with him. "Let it go." She turned back to the board to continue her task.

"I have to know." He once again made a grab for the eraser but Beckett held it away from him.

"Why is she getting to you?" She snapped as quietly as possible. So far, no one had taken notice to their exchange and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Because it's an interesting story." He stopped struggling for the bar. "And besides, I thought when someone is murdered we're supposed to find their killer."

"She wasn't murdered!" Her voice was sharp enough to turn a few heads but still not attract too much attention. The pair looked around to ensure that their conversation was still fairly private. "Look, I'm sorry to disappoint you Castle but just because her death is interesting doesn't mean we're going to investigate." Her voice was low and harsh.

"I'm not letting this go." His tone matched her's as they continued to stare down at each other, neither really moving until they heard someone clear their throat and they broke apart slightly frustrated.

"Am I interrupting something?" Esposito hid his smile, misinterpreting their close proximity.

"Yes."

"Yes."

They spoke simultaneously, causing the Hispanic detective's brown eyes to widen in temporary shock before he remembered why he had come.

"Anyway, I was just downstairs and Lanie told me to give you this." He handed them a pale folder with the victim's name written on the side. As Beckett opened the folder and leaned against the back of her desk, having regained her composure, Castle followed Esposito back to his desk.

"You were just downstairs, huh?" He teased. "Doing what?" The detective cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Working." His voice was much too defensive to pass up. Castle was about to continue when Beckett called him over distractedly, having turned to loom over her empty chair. Rushing over obediently, he stood over her shoulder to read as she spoke.

"Lanie finished running a second tox-screen on our victim. Apparently there were trace amounts of Zolpidem in her system." She enunciated the drug name, not familiar with it. "Apparently the traces were so small that her preliminary examination missed it."

"What is Zolpidem?" She didn't look at him as the both continued to read the report, him faster than her.

"It's a drug used for Insomnia." They spoke simultaneously, having reached the same line on the report. Their heads both snapped to each other in an instant, their gazes unwavering as realization sank in. A moment later, their expressions didn't change from the open-mouthed blankness.

"Oh no." Her voice was monotone as the slightest hint of a smirk played at the writer's lips.

"Oh yes." Rolling her eyes and groaning internally, she turned back to the report and continued to read it, conceding finally to confirm his unspoken suspicion.

"If she was taking drugs and stopped taking them, it would explain the night terrors."

"And if someone forced her to stop taking them…" He prompted smugly.

"Then we have cause to investigate." She suddenly closed the folder and turned to him, slapping his chest with the papers.

"Don't look so smug, it's very unattractive." His face lit up for a moment.

"So you do admit that I can be attractive." Rolling her eyes as she grabbed her leather coat off of the back of her chair and her keys from her desk – coffee forgotten for the second time that day – she began walking towards the elevator knowing the writer would be behind her in an instant.

"It's like working with a child." She muttered as they stepped into the elevator together.

"So where are we off to?" He bounced on his heels as the elevator descended to the bottom floor.

"We're going to go and talk to the victim's friends. Maybe they can give us something to work off of."

"You know you were awfully quick to jump on the murder train, detective." He smirked, causing her to avoid his gaze.

"I jump when there's something to jump on." She closed her mouth and looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to the man-child, pretending to hide a snicker. "You know what I mean." Thankfully the elevator dinged indicating their arrival in the parking garage. Stepping off together, the writer refused to let it go.

"Still, you were so set that I was wrong and all of a sudden you expect me to believe that you're just going your job?"

"I _am_ doing my job." Her voice rose a bit as they continued to walk towards her car. His hands shot up defensively.

"Whatever you say detective." With a quick glare from the female detective, the subject was dropped but not forgotten as they made their way into morning traffic.


	3. Tissue

**Yes I know this is a super short chapter but I just needed to get something done before "Knockdown" so that I could focus on that. Before the end of the week, I'll post another, longer chapter so just bare with me. I appreciate you guys reading this and I'd REALLY love if I got more reviews on how I'm doing. There's jello and cherries in it for you... (I figure everyone does cookies, why not get creative). Anyways, have a wonderful Castle-filled night and enjoy! 3 **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

* * *

"It's just awful." The young woman sniffled dramatically, dabbing her nose lightly with an overly-used tissue. "She was finally getting her life back in order." Beckett and Castle sat in the restaurant booth across from a twenty-three year old woman in a loose blue halter top and tight-fitting jeans, crossing her legs suggestively as she put on the obvious act of grievance. Katelyn Adams. Amy's daily ride to work and self-proclaimed best friend. Ignoring her instincts to smack the girl up-side the head, Beckett leaned forward, focusing on the information rather than the informant.

"What do you mean?" Castle leaned forward as well.

"She used to go to Columbia." She brought the tissue to her chest as she blinked away fresh tears. "She was going to be a big hot-shot lawyer but three years ago she dropped out. She started working at the restaurant full time," Her voice was becoming more cracked and broken as she continued to speak, "last year she started going to night school twice a week. She was going to apply to Columbia in the summer." At that, the waitress broke down in hysterical sobs that shook her entire body. The dynamic duo simply stared wide-eyed between each other and the young woman currently washing the hardwood floor with her tears. Unsure exactly what to do, they sat back slightly and waited for their interviewee to calm down enough to continue questioning.

It was several minutes before she finally looked up at the detective apologetically. "I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I just can't believe she's gone." Nodding understandingly, Beckett proceeded cautiously.

"Do you know why she dropped out of Columbia?" Katelyn nodded solemnly, still sniffling.

"Joey."

"Boyfriend?" Castle interjected. The waitress glanced at the pair incredulously.

"Her son." Her voice adopted a snippy attitude making them both raise unamused eyebrows. Then realization kicked in.

"We weren't aware she _had_ a son." She nodded matter-of-factly.

"She had him just after she dropped out of Columbia."

"Where is he now?"

She once again adopted a sad, closed off-expression as she dabbed her nose with the shredded piece of tissue. "A little over a year ago she sent him up to live with her mom so that she could work full-time. She wanted to be able to support him once he got older. She goes up to see him every chanced she gets." She suddenly sighed. "Oh god, what's going to happen to him?"

"What about Joey's father?" Castle's eyebrows knit, curiously as Katelyn scoffed.

"She kicked Jay out years ago." She mumbled. "Abusive little bastard." The young woman seemed to think for a moment. "You know, a few weeks ago, he came into the restaurant demanding to see Amy. I told him to screw off but then Amy came out and was all over him."

"I thought you said she kicked him out."

"She did." The girl gasped. "I was there when she threw all of his things out the window." She shrugged. "I guess they got back together." Beckett nodded, writing down her current theory in her little blue notebook.

"Do you know Jay's last name?"

"Michaels. Jay Michaels." Her voice was cracking from dehydration.

"One more thing, Miss. Adams-"

"Mrs. Adams." She corrected stiffly. "I'm married." Nodding in apology, Beckett continued.

"_Mrs_. Adams. Were you aware that Amy was taking medication for her Insomnia?"

"Oh yeah, everyone knew. She was like bi-polar when she didn't take her pills."

"And when did she stop taking them?" They sat forward curiously as the young waitress thought.

"You know, I don't think I've seen her take them for at least a month." Flipping her notebook closed, Beckett reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her business card.

"Thank you Mrs. Adams. If you can think of anything else, don't hesitate to call me." The shaken waitress took the card in her tissue-filled hand and offered a weak smile and a mouthed thank you.

As the pair turned to leave the restaurant, Castle rolled his eyes.

"That performance would not win her an Oscar." Beckett rolled her eyes more at her partner than the girl but she couldn't disagree.

"Regardless, we should still check out Michaels and see what we can get."

"And we should talk to Amy's mom – see what we can get about her relationship with Jay and Joey." Nodding, the detective walked down the street to her car, her writer monkey following suit.

"First things first though." She glanced at him with a smirk. "We're making a coffee run."


	4. Children

**So I haven't updated this story in a LONG time but I'm on break so I figured I should do something while I'm sitting here so I thought 'hey let's actually update my fanfiction stories' so I have. This is a short chapter, I know but what can you do. I updated ALL of my stories today. I hope people are still reading this. If not, let me know. If you are, I LOVE reviews. *Hint Hint*. Enjoy 3**

* * *

The drive up to White Plains was annoyingly quiet. Castle hadn't said anything since he had gotten in the car and he sat there just staring out the window the entire time. What was wrong with him?

"So what are your plans tonight?"

"Mmhmm." He mumbled. Beckett glanced over at him, hoping to get anything out of him.

"I think I'm going to go home after work, maybe light some candles, get a nice bottle of wine, draw a bath and just sink in." She drew out every syllable as she told him of her fake plans knowing that her Castle couldn't resist offering to assist her.

Whoa there. When did he become _her_ Castle? Never mind that; he wasn't saying anything. He offered the same mumbled response. She opened her mouth to have a serious discussion with him when he suddenly sat up a little straighter.

"Beckett, don't miss the turn off." Her attention returned to the road in time to shift over three lanes and take the turn leading into White Plains.

"Right."

Ten minutes later, they were pulling up at the Caine residents. This was going to be an interesting talk.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Caine but I have to ask you some questions about your daughter." The petite woman simply nodded as she drew another laboured breath. The crying had subsided but she was still sniffling a little.

"Yes of course."

"What can you tell me about Jason Michaels?" The woman sighed.

"Amy met Jay in their senior year of High School. I told her from the beginning that she shouldn't be dating him but she insisted that it was true love." She scoffed but continued. "It was maybe a week after they graduated that I started noticing the bruises. One night, she came to me in tears. Jay had beaten her so badly that she was in the hospital for a week. She hadn't even called me when she was admitted. But that trip to the hospital opened her eyes. She told me that she was going to leave him. And then she comes to me telling me that she's pregnant. And Jay's the father. She promised me that she was going leave him for good and raise the baby on her own but Jay would _not_ leave her alone."

"What happened?"

"We threatened to file a restraining order and he backed off. I haven't heard from him since."

"Had Amy been acting different lately. Say in the last month?" Castle leaned forward on his arms and tilted his head. That's when he caught sight of a little blonde haired boy playing with a pile of giant multi-colored Lego. He had a bowl cut and a jumper and seemed so contently oblivious as he played that Castle sighed. Beckett heard his sigh but focused on the woman across from them.

"As a matter of fact she seemed a lot happier lately. I thought maybe she had finally started dating again. I swear my baby worked much too hard."

"Did you know that Amy was taking pills for her insomnia?"

"Yes. I was the one who suggested she see Doctor Phillips in the first place." She suddenly seemed more resigned. "Her depression was so bad after Joey was born; I caught her slitting her wrists when I stopped by for a visit last year and that was the final straw."

Both Castle and Beckett returned to the conversation. "I'm sorry, Dr. Phillips?"

"Dr. Michelle Phillips; Amy's psychologist. She had been seeing her once a week for the last year because of her depression. It's only in the last month that I've started to notice a real difference."

"Amy had Post-Partum Depression?"

"Yes." The older woman nodded in confirmation. "I think that's way sent Joey to live with me. I don't think she trusted herself around Joey. She loved him but she was so sad all the time." She sighed. "Now Joey will never know either of his parents."

They had just left White Plains and were back on the highway when Beckett spoke.

"So how's Alexis?"

"What?" He looked over at her.

"I saw you watching Joey when we were in there. Is Alexis okay?"

"Yeah." He sighed resignedly. "She's been getting all of these college acceptance letters all week and I guess it's finally sinking in." He glanced out the window. "My baby's all grown up." He suddenly shook his head and glanced up at the roof of the car. "I just thought I had more time, you know?"

"Don't worry about Alexis, Castle." Kate assured. "She'll be fine."

"I'm not worried about her." He stared at his shoes and released a loud breath before his voice became so quiet. "I'm worried about me."

Seeing her partner like this tugged at her heartstrings and she allowed herself a moment of weakness. She took her right hand off of the steering wheel and placed it comfortably on Castle's knee. Squeezing it lightly, her eyes didn't leave the road but she saw the content smile on his face that matched hers.

The drove that way all the way back to the precinct.


	5. Bubble Wrap

**I never realized how short these chapters were until I was writing another one of my stories so I apologize. But, in the immortal words of a dear friend of mine: this is fanfiction to go. This is a story you read on your way out the door in the morning. It's short and light so I hope you can accept that and love it for what it is. Enjoy 3**

* * *

It wasn't hard to track down Jay Michaels. He had a record a mile long of minor charges. Basically, he was just an obnoxious ass – no harm right? His last known address was in Forest Hills, Queens – a twenty minute drive from the precinct – so Ryan and Esposito, exchanged shrugs and piled into their car.

Traffic brought them to the door of Michael's apartment forty minutes later. The pair nodded to each other before Esposito, knocked harshly on the door. Remembering that this wasn't an arrest, just a questioning, they saw no need to announce themselves or barge in unless the situation suddenly changed.

Like the sound of shattering glass echoing through the empty apartment.

Reacting quickly, Ryan stood off to the side as Esposito delivered a swift kick to the center of the door, collapsing the hinges and causing the door to fall inward. The detective duo drew their weapons and cautiously entered the apartment.

"Jason Michaels, NYPD." They suddenly froze in their search for the man when they both laid eyes upon a squealing, semi-shy blonde with really big… teeth. She was wearing a dark green men's shirt and apparently nothing else. Beside her bare feet was what appeared to be a shattered vase and in her had appeared to be the skimpiest pair of panties either boys had ever averted their gaze from. They took their moment of embarrassment to examine the room around the girl. There were clothes _everywhere_ and even furniture seemed to be misplaced. Esposito recovered from his realization first.

"Ma'am where is Jason Michaels?" She stared at the detectives in stunned silence, not moving from her spot on the creaking hardwood until a voice interrupted their silent conversation.

"Why hello detectives;" They pair turned to greet Jay Michaels "to what do I owe the pleasure?" Esposito wasn't sure where to look and Ryan was just stunned into gazing at the wonderfully interesting spot on the ceiling.

Standing before them was a very proud, very cocky, very _naked_ Jay Michaels who didn't seem at all phased by the state of his undress.

* * *

Somewhere between the apartment and the precinct, they pair of now scarred detectives vowed never to speak of how they got the information out of Jay – or more importantly – the state of dress in which they interrogated Jay. It had to violate at least one rule in the 'bro code' right? Even if it didn't, it should.

They spent the next hour or so, avoiding each other's gaze and double checking motives – as alibis were kind of moot at this point. Nothing popped except for Jay and… they weren't discussing that again.

They were both about ready to take a coffee break when Beckett and Castle returned in a seemingly lighter mood. The boys exchanged relieved looks before approaching the pair at her desk.

"Yo check this, we tracked down Michaels." Esposito tried to make everything seem not so awkward but his partner blushing beside him did nothing to help. "He says he didn't know about Amy's death and he didn't even know she was taking the pills."

"But he started crying when we told him." The Irishman interjected.

"You don't believe him though do you?" Castle scoffed, removing his jacket and placing it on the back of his chair.

"We… couldn't decide." Ryan looked at his partner cautiously. When you have a grown – naked – man crying into your shoulder, it's hard to judge.

"In any case he confirmed that he had been visiting Amy on a regular basis for the last few weeks trying to get her to take him back so that he could see Joey. He seemed very adamant about getting involved in his son's life. He says that's the main reason why he wasn't to get back together with Amy."

"She was going to take him back apparently when she showed up at his apartment."

"Another woman?" Castle guessed, and the boys nodded. The writer hummed in response. "See that's a rookie mistake. Never have another girl in your apartment when there's even the remote possibility that your girlfriend could show up." He looked around and he suddenly remembered that this wasn't an all boys club and promptly shut his mouth at Beckett's unamused eyebrow raise.

"Did the other woman confirm Michaels' whereabouts for this morning?"

"Same condition we found him in." Esposito confirmed.

"Which would be…?" Beckett prompted, thinking of all the things to add to the murder board. She almost missed her boys exchange a wary glance. "Well?"

"She confirms his alibi." Ryan nodded before walking away with his head low. Esposito quickly followed in a similar manner, leaving the other two with confused looks similar to their own that morning. It seemed like every interview they conducted gave them a new inside joke.

"Although how someone that… short could get one let alone two girls to sleep with him…" They could hear the Hispanic muttering as the boys returned to their desks, shaking their heads.

After a moment of watching the other detectives, Beckett rose from her chair and began to write on the board while her partner watched silently, not finding anything to say.

Since that morning, they had found an official cause of death, a murder suspect (Michaels), two persons of interest (Katelyn and Doctor Phillips) and another victim (Joey). It wasn't much but it was a start.

After she had filled in all of the information she could think of, Kate turned around and shut off her desk lamp causing three boys to look up at her.

"Let's call it a night boys."

"What? It's barely 8 o'clock." Castle stood as she donned her coat.

"Yeah well, there isn't much we can do until we get in to see Dr. Phillips and that won't be until tomorrow morning so why don't we just head home?" She pulled her hair out of her jacket and let it fall around her shoulders. Castle took a moment to not be distracted from her beauty.

"You have plans with Josh tonight don't you?"

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't; what's it to you Castle?" He had no real response to that so he turned to the boys for help.

They were both on the first floor having left the moment Beckett uttered the word 'night'.


	6. Meta

**Well here is another chapter. There is no crime solving in this one but I like how it turned out. The second half of this chapter goes out to Jordan and Ellenor and they know why. **

**So in unrelated news, I refuse to watch 'Bones' purely out of spite so it stands to reason that I don't own it. Enjoy 3**

* * *

Kate met Josh at the restaurant forty-five minutes later dressed in a curve hugging emerald green dress with black strappy heels and her hair in a loose bun on top of her head. Josh was speechless as he pulled out her chair and pushed it in gently for her.

"Wow Kate you look… wow." He gaped, causing the detective to blush slightly.

"Well you told me to dress up for our night out tonight so I decided to wear something nice."

"Nice?" He scoffed. "This is spectacular." He gushed, eliciting a deeper blush.

"Thank you." She mumbled as the waiter arrived to take their order. After the waiter had taken their drinks, Kate looked around at the restaurant.

"Swanky place;" She smirked "must have been hard to get reservations."

"Not when you did a triple bypass on the owner." She nodded in amusement and watched out the window as the city passed by. The sun was just setting so the streets were filled with happy couples walking towards various party destinations and businessmen commuting home after a long day's work.

Her mind kept returning to the case. It was troubling her greatly. It was such a sad way to die because the most anyone could be charged with is… not a lot. If this Doctor Phillips had anything to do with her not taking her pills, she could be charged with malpractice but that was it. Amy would never get real justice for her death. She couldn't help but think if maybe she called now, she could catch Doctor Phillips at her office and have the boys bring her in for questioning.

She took out her phone from her purse and was about to scroll through her contacts when she felt a hand covering hers. She looked up to see Josh holding a disapproving expression.

"What happened to our night out together?"

"I know I was just-"

"No work tonight okay Kate?" How could she say no to that face looking at her so pleadingly?

"But what if it's an emergency?"

"What can be so important that it can't wait until tomorrow morning?"

"A lot of things." Kate couldn't believe her _doctor _boyfriend was asking her to ignore her job for an entire evening. "My work is important to me-"

"Mine is too." He was raising his voice ever so slightly and the people occupying the neighbouring tables were beginning to watch them out of the corner of their eye. "But _we_ are just as important. I want this night to be just us; no outside distractions." He removed the phone from her hand with little protest – as she was too stunned to really react – and shut it off, placing it on the empty table space beside him before taking her hands in his. "I miss us."

"I miss us too Josh but-"

"No buts," he said finally "we are going to just spend this evening in each other's company and nothing is going to interrupt us." With that, he picked up his menu and began selecting what he would order. Kate watched her boyfriend for a long moment before pensively glancing at her menu.

What he was asking wasn't that outrageous right? Just one night alone without any worries or cares? It actually sounded nice. But she was a cop; she couldn't have a 'nice' night – it was in the handbook or something under the chapter 'personally lives or lack thereof'. She just couldn't shut off her work brain and not knowing if someone was trying to call her about her case was killing her. Her boyfriend should understand that – but he didn't seem to. Or if he did, he was ignoring it in favour of a stuffy restaurant and theatre tickets to some opera that neither of them had heard of before. How was that a relaxing evening? The only time she would be allowed to be herself would be when she was in the cab to and from all of their glorious destinations.

This night just went completely downhill.

She couldn't just leave before they even received their drinks… which reminded her. Where was that waiter with their drinks? She was getting impatient with evening and getting it over with as soon as possible.

Really, it wasn't Josh's fault that he wanted a work-free evening. They hadn't had a date that didn't end in one of them leaving half-way through in… forever. She couldn't hate him for wanting to have some normal couple-time but she didn't have to be ecstatic about it either. She was just going to have to ride this out until she got to the good stuff – the personal alone time with her long time boyfriend whom she rarely gets to see. That part she could most certainly live through… again and again and again.

The man was a doctor alright; he was very good with his hands.

So it was resolved then, she nodded to herself; she was going to get through the things that Josh wanted to do as a couple so that they could get to the things that she wanted to do as a couple. See, they were making a compromise – their relationship really _was_ solid.

* * *

Rick opened the door to his loft to find both of his red haired beauties lounging on the couch watching a movie on the shower curtain.

"And what are my ladies up to this evening?" He threw his coat over a chair and entered the room with a flourish.

"We are watching all of the episodes of 'Bones' from the beginning." His mother explained while his daughter continued to get caught up in the show "We are on the third season right now."

"Why are you watching it?" He crinkled his nose in disgust.

"I watch it for the acting." The diva rolled her eyes. "Alexis watches it for the romance between the two leads." Hearing her name brought the teen slightly out of her daze.

"I think it's so nice to see that dynamic between a man and a woman." She spoke, not taking her eyes off the screen. "The playful banter, the knowing looks; it's obvious that they are meant to be together. Well it's obvious to everyone but them. I just hope they eventually get together. It's nice to watch them grow closer and be friends and everything but sometimes they just need to kiss and get married and have children."

"Doesn't that happen in the show?" Not that Castle _ever_ watched Bones.

"It was only a dream/alternate reality thing. They still aren't together."

Castle sat down, suddenly interested in the conversation. "So you think that two people who work together and are friends can be good as a couple?"

"The best;" Alexis gushed while her grandmother shot Rick a knowing glance which he purposefully avoided "their relationship is that much stronger _because_ they were friends before they started dating. Booth and Brennan should have gotten together at the end of like the second season."

"Don't you think it would get a little boring for the viewers? I thought the whole appeal of shows like that was the 'falling in love' part."

"For some people it is but I think that people can be just as great _after_ they fall in love. Being in love has just as many – if not more – ups and downs and little adventures that would keep the viewers watching. When two people care about each other as much as they do, it's only natural that they would take the next step."

"But what if she doesn't feel the same way as me?" That brought all of the Castles to attention with wide eyes and – one – knowing glance.

"Wait;" Alexis actually paused her show to look at her father "I'm talking about 'Bones' what are _you_ talking about?" For a moment, Rick was stunned into silence. Did he really just say that? And who was _she_? Well of course he had an idea about who she was but he wasn't going to go there.

"I meant _him_." He said quietly. "What if she doesn't feel the same way about him?" The red haired teen eyed her father suspiciously before shaking her head.

"The only way they would figure out if they feel the same is if he asked her." Rick thought about this as the two ladies returned to their episodes. As the voices of Booth and Brenner played in the background, he thought about their entire conversation and how close it was to his relationship with Kate. There was one difference though: their lives weren't made into a television series for millions of people to watch. It was just them. There weren't any writers to tell him to buck up and ask her; it was just him and her.

And right now, _her_ was on a super romantic date with her doctor boyfriend having the perfect night.

How could he compete with that?"


	7. AN

**Dear Loving Readers,**

**I write to you with a heavy heart with information regarding my fictions. I regret to inform you that it may be a considerable amount of time before I can completely focus on them and as a result they may be neglected for the next few months. As I shall graduate in seven days and then put all of my effort into scribing my diplomas, I fear I shall not have a spare moments until late June. I sincerely wish that you wait for my return at which time I shall write in the fashion of a madwoman to bring to you, my readers, more fiction. I understand that this is a difficult time for everyone with the passing of our dear friend Captain Montgomery and the impending survival of Ms. Katherine Beckett - a survival which is guaranteed but shaky - but I must leave you in the hands of other writers to comfort you until I, myself, am recovered from this tragedy. Thank you for being so loyal up until this point and I pray that when I return, you shall be here and waiting. As a way to pass the hours of this long and dreary month, may I suggest, making speculations about what may happen come September or what will happen in one of my fictions. I shall be posting this letter in all of my stories so I feel there is only a need to read this once but if it so pleases you, you may read this letter again and again.**

**Again, I offer my sincerest apologizes at my lack of time but my school work must - unfortunately - take priority in my life.**

**Regards,**

**C.J.E.**


	8. String Theory

**Hey! I have been writing quite a lot lately. I would love some read and reviews of my other stories which I'm trying to update on a regular basis. This story isn't my most popular but I'm starting to enjoy writing it so I'm hoping you will too. My favorite part about writing this story is all the research I get to do. I have learnt a bunch of new things AND everything that happens in this story is actually possible so it's awesome. What made me smile while researching today was looking up different ways to say 'having sex'. I found a three page list online and I was blushing and laughing so hard that I went with the basics. I think it works better than 'making spaghetti'. Anyways, enjoy and Alex Beckett, if you're reading this: this one isn't for you but there may be one for you (if there would ever be one for me). Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Castle or ABC**

* * *

The morning came and Beckett was back in detective mode. She had Castle meet her at Dr. Phillips' office at eight o'clock and he arrived promptly at eight twenty-four – as expected – but he brought his usual peace offering; coffee and a bearclaw. Rolling her eyes, she accepted the breakfast – which she had purposefully missed knowing that he would provide it – and they entered the small business office together. Beckett sipped her coffee while her partner watched her sip her coffee as they walked past the secretary, not even looking at them as she flashed her badge and walked into the waiting room. The moment Dr. Phillips opened the door, releasing one of her patients, they pounced, announcing their presence and insisting on speaking with her right away.

Castle, ever the writer, observed her office as being tidy but not clean, warm and a little stereotypical for a psychologist's office – a black couch, fake shrubbery and open windows overlooking nothing but green – telling him that this graying blonde woman was mostly organized but was making some sort of life change, was genuinely compassionate towards her patients and had a sense of humor when it came to her job.

Beckett, ever the detective, observed the office as being recently organized – seeing several piles of files still lying on her desk – bright and a little stereotypical for a psychologist's office telling her that this intelligent woman was going through a personal crisis which was carrying over into her work life, she was considerate towards everyone and she was experienced enough to not care about what other's thought of her as a person.

The woman alone was in her mid-forties, wore her medium hair in a half-up form and kept her glasses on top of her head though both of them figured she still lost them on a frequent basis. Having been offered a seat on the looming, infamous black couch, Beckett declined.

"Miss Phillips we'd like to ask you a few questions about one of your patients." The doctor, who had taken a seat in a high-backed floral-patterned chair, smiled up at her so sweetly, they almost believed her.

"Well I am very sorry detectives but I'm afraid I can't discuss any of my patients with you; Doctor/Patient privilege you understand." Knowing this was coming, Beckett jumped straight to the point.

"Ma'am it's about Amy Caine, she was found murdered in her home yesterday morning." Dr. Phillips faded into stunned, wide-eyed silence, gripping the armrests for comfort, before shaking her head slowly.

"Oh dear; and she was making such progress." They heard her mutter.

"Progress with what?" The question seemed to snap the older woman out of her trance and she suddenly rose for the chair to face the duo.

"I'm sorry detectives but I can't speak anymore about my patients, dead or alive. Now if you'll excuse me I am running into my next session." She straightened her shoulders stiffly as she made her way towards the door to open it and usher them out. She had her had on the handle before Beckett spoke.

"Miss Phillips, this is a murder investigation; I would like to see your notes on Amy." The doctor didn't face them but responded as stiffly as her shoulders.

"I'm afraid you'll need to obtain a search warrant if you would like to look at my files. No if you'll excuse me…" She had managed to open the door and fold her arm, waiting for them to leave. Trying hard not to huff and roll her eyes as she passed through the door, Beckett nodded to the secretary on the way out and saved her eye roll for Castle who made some flippant remark about her hiding something from them as they both got in her car – he had taken a cab – and headed back to the precinct where they hoped Ryan and Esposito would be back from interviewing the restaurant owner.

They had mutually decided last night that it might be a good idea to interview the manager of the restaurant and – interestingly – Katelyn's husband, Roger Adams, a late-thirty-something man with a habit for marrying younger women. Katelyn was wife number four.

Walking into the tiny backroom of the restaurant, they both blinked back the feeling of filth and grease that radiated off of the dark-haired man. Neither of the boys would admit it but Roger Adams was an attractive man – broad shoulders, chiseled jaw, smooth face – but he wore it smugly, creating the errant need to take a hand-sanitizer shower.

They found the man with his legs crossed over the top of his desk, leaning back in his chair, waiting for them to arrive.

"Mr. Adams we-"

"Please call me Roger, I've nothing to hide." Ryan glanced at his partner as the man before there schmoozed his way around the interview.

"_Mr. Adams_," Esposito spoke a little harsher than necessary. They needed just get this over with "we have some questions about one of your employees; Amy Caine?"

"Alright you caught me." The man raised his arms above his head but made no move to get up. "I was the one banging her."

Both detectives looked at each other, trying to hide their confusion and surprise.

"You were sleeping with Miss Caine?"

"No I wasn't _sleeping_ with her." The older man made a face, mocking the detectives' polite mannerisms. "I was screwing her brains out afterhours." Ryan cleared his throat but made no comment.

"And how long had this been going on?"

"Consistently every night for about a month now." The smug jerk. "It's a shame she's dead; she was tons of fun in the sack."

"And was your… wife aware of all of this?"

"Of course not; that little tramp is barely aware of what day of the week it is. Now if we're done here…" He lowered his feet and reached for his phone, indicating that he wouldn't be answering anymore questions. The two partners slowly looked at each other with looks of… annoyance and disgust.

An hour later, the quartet were gathered in an empty room in view of the murder board, eating some take out Thai – on Castle.

"So Cain and Adams were doing the dirty after the restaurant closed?" Castle shoveled a few noodles into his mouth with a slurp.

"It seems like it." Esposito shuffled the food around in its container but didn't eat it right away. "According to Rogers, he and Amy had been rendezvousing in his office for about a month before her death." They room was silent for a moment as they processed the information.

"So…" Beckett looked up at her partner.

"Maybe their little escapade…" He answered.

"And the regular release of endorphins…"

"Was what was really making her happy, not the medication." They hadn't realized how close they had gotten until the others in the room – feeling very awkward – finally spoke.

"But why did she stop taking the medication in the first place?" The pair turned to face the rest of the room, shaking their heads and shrugging as though nothing was wrong.

"Hopefully we'll know more once we get a hold of Dr. Phillips' records-"

"And talk to Mrs. Adams." Castle cut in. "I'm guessing she knows more than her husband thinks."


	9. Mirrors

**Hello dear readers, I hope you are reading this because I don't like writing just for myself. Either way, I have a new chapter here so please read - and review. I should have another chapter up of the other stories in the next few days but no guarantees. **

**This particular story will not be Beta'd so all mistakes are mine. It's almost done anyways so I might as well just see it through. I suppose that's all.**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Castle or ABC**

* * *

"Of course I knew that little whore was screwin' Amy. It's not the first time he's had an affair." Katelyn Adams sat in the living room of a spacious river-side loft filing her nails as though it were the most casual thing in the world. Castle and Beckett sat across from her with matching intrigued expressions; finally they had a decent lead.

"How long have you known about the affair?" At this, the young woman released a single, high-pitched squeal of laughter, causing the pair to stare at each other with confusion.

"Since it began. Subtle, that man is not. Up until a month ago, he was home by eight; then all of a sudden he was "working" until midnight. Every single night."

Sensing that this woman was in the perfect state of mind for revealing secrets, Beckett leaned forward. "So you said this wasn't the first time your husband had had an affair; I guess you must have been pretty tired of him sleeping around with other women."

"Hell yeah." Katelyn returned to filing her nails. "Don't get me wrong he's absolutely gorgeous and with his numerous bank accounts he is very" she cocked an eyebrow but didn't take her eyes off of her nails "well endowed but the bastard can't keep it in his pants and I'm sick of it."

"So you killed his mistress." Castle filled in the blanks, ignoring the double entendre.

"Why would I kill Amy?" the woman froze in her task to stare dumbly at the detectives. "She was my key to getting rid of that slime ball forever." The pair was stunned into silence as they processed the implications behind her statement.

"You and Amy were going to get rid of your husband. Together?"

"Well Amy didn't really know it but because of her, I was able to gather enough evidence to divorce that cheating bastard." They hadn't realized it but both of them released a breath knowing that Katelyn's plans were only figurative. It seemed impossible that this 80 pound wannabe model was capable of murder but they _had_ been wrong before. Still, it was nice to learn that the wife hadn't been the killer – it would have been too clichéd.

"So you were planning on divorcing Mr. Adams because of his affair with Amy." Beckett asked; it wouldn't hurt to confirm everything.

"Yes. Thanks to her, I'm finally free to pursue other arrangement." Katelyn seemed to make a point of saying this directly to the only man in the room, causing him to gulp and his partner to roll her eyes.

This girl was insufferable.

As the couple walked side-by-side out of the high-class building and down the street towards her car Beckett looked up into the sky with a soft smile.

"The sun's almost down." She observed the reds and oranges protruding from high New York skyline. "You want me to drop you off at home or do you have somewhere else to be?" She nudged his elbow teasingly. Castle was silent a moment before he turned his waist to watch her as they walked.

"I have nowhere else to be." He spoke casually but with just enough space between breaths to provide meaning. "In fact," he suddenly smirked and reached for her hand "you and I are going out for super tonight."

"What?" She was too stunned to resist as he began pulling her down the street away from their car. "Castle let go of me." He instantly released her hand but didn't stop smiling at her with that million dollar smile that melted her heart. "What makes you think I'd be going on a date with you?"

"I never said 'date' detective but funny you should suggest that." His smile grew into a teasing smirk that brought a pale pink to her cheeks. "I was merely going to suggest that we both go and eat something together." They both failed to point out that that was the definition of a date.

"I suppose we both need to eat."

"Exactly; so let's go." He tilted his head and began walking once again, keeping his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and grabbing hers. That brief moment when he had held her hand and felt electrifying and his hand still tingled from the sensation of her soft fingers in his.

Beckett followed behind at a reasonable distance without losing the warmth that radiated from him. Despite the chilly winter air, he seemed to be toasty warm and she clung to that – figuratively. Although...

Put those thoughts out of her head, she followed blindly several blocked before they turned to corner and found themselves in a familiar neighbourhood. "Remy's?" She asked with a blinding smile. "How did you know?"

Rick shrugged. "It's sort of our place isn't it?"

"I guess it is." Neither of them stopped smiling until they took their seats and were each presented with a menu.

After the waitress left, Beckett searched through her dress pants pocket for her cell phone, prepared to turn it off; they couldn't do anything else today and she felt as though she owed Castle her undivided attention. But Castle raised his hand to stop her.

"Leave it on; you never know when there might be a break in the case. And I know you would hate to miss something." Kate stared at Rick in awe. He was right about her, of course, but it always amazed her. How could he possibly have understood what she needed even if she didn't? It was exactly how her boyfriend would react.

Whoa there Kate, now she was getting too far ahead of herself. This wasn't a date – they had already established that – and besides, she already _had_ a boyfriend. Right; her gorgeous, perfect, doctor boyfriend. Right; him. But looking up at Rick, she couldn't think of one good reason not to smile.

"You're right." And with that, she placed her cell phone between them and looked back at her menu, subtly ignoring the pleased smirk Rick wore as he watched her.

Oh yeah; this was definitely _not_ a date.


	10. Dreaming

**I didn't realize it was the end until I finished it. So yeah, I guess this is the end of this journey. The first multi-fic story I've ever completed. Thank you to those who have stuck by me through all of this, I really appreciate it. I will have a new chapter of Glass Slippers and Turnabout out in the next few days. Thanks again for sticking with me. **

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Castle or ABC**

* * *

By eight o'clock the next morning their case was back on task. Castle and his connections had pulled through once again and they had a warrant to search through Dr. Phillip's files meaning they were down at her office the moment they had it in their hands. By eight thirty, Castle and Beckett were sitting down with the good doctor, going over her notes on Amy.

"Take us from the beginning." Beckett prompted when the doctor remained silent. Shaking her head, Doctor Phillips spoke.

"Amy had been seeing me since she had Joey; worried that her post-partum would manifest in some other part of her life. When regular therapy wasn't working I suggested that she try this trial drug called Minocycline and Amy agreed. The drugs were helping her." She insisted to the pair. "She was doing so well but she didn't want to be dependant on anything so we were slowly easing her off of it." Dr. Phillips suddenly took a long, deep breath. "About a month ago, we took her off the Minocycline permanently."

"I take it she didn't react well." Castle commented at the doctor's wayward glance.

"At first she was fine but then she started talking about disturbing dreams, random emotional break downs and I realized that the side effects were kicking in late."

"What side effects?" The pair spoke simultaneously, only sparing a single look at each other.

"Amy was… emotionally unstable. She had less control over her emotions than a normal person would. She felt every little thing that most people just push to the side. She was so vulnerable."

The doctor's words echoed in their brains as the pair of them began to take down their disorganized murder board.

"Amy couldn't help but feel everything in the last months of her life." Castle mused aloud.

"The pain, the sorrow, the fear"

"The lust." Castle nodded towards the photo of her greasy boss. Beckett chose not to respond, knowing that he was right.

"And the ones who drove her over the edge will never be brought to justice because not one person actually pushed her. Jay and Roger and Caitlyn; they all just nudged her until the nightmares became too hard for her to handle."

"It's a tragedy that not even I would write." Beckett slowly nodded before leaving the closed box on her desk and grabbing her coat.

"You wanna grab a bite?" She offered as Castle helped her into her jacket.

"Nah, I have a stop to make before I head home. I think Alexis and I need some serious bonding time." Beckett focused on the first part of his sentence, knowing what his stop would be.

"I'll drive." She offered, knowing that he had taken a cab. Nodding in confirmation, Castle followed her out to the car where they made small talk all the way to White Plains.

Amy's mother had been distraught to learn what had really happened to her daughter but felt a sense of relief knowing that her daughter could finally be at peace knowing that the tragedy of her life was revealed. After pausing to look in on Joey who was playing quietly with a wooden train, Beckett and Castle left the home with an oddly heavier heart.

Breaking the silence that fallen on them Beckett tried to remain light. "You sure I can't tempt you into having dinner with me?" Castle almost smiled at the idea of taking his dear detective out for dinner.

"I can't, I have a daughter at home I need to spend time with." Beckett glanced at her friend from the corner of her eye and smiled sweetly.

"You're a good father Rick Castle." He couldn't resist; it was too perfect.

"And one day you are going to make an amazing mother Kate Beckett."

With no words left between then, Castle and Beckett rode off into the sunset.

* * *

**And Cue The Credits **


End file.
